Deep Roads
by Green Sphynx
Summary: A collapse in the Deep Roads separates Anders and Nathaniel from the rest of the group. Anders doesn't take it well. The usual plot by the next writer, really.
1. Chapter 1

"He's so adorable!"

"Oh look, look! There's a cutie, who's the cute kitten?"

"Oh his tail! Oh, oh!"

"Too cute, I want to keep him!"

" _Anders_!"

The mage's grin didn't falter, despite the commanding tone behind him and the startled little squeals of the women in front of him. "Sorry ladies, Ser Pounce-a-Lot and me are being called to do our duty. You should come play with him when we return, he likes you." With a wink he placed the kitten back on his shoulder, where he immediately curled around to cross behind his head for optimal view of their surroundings. With empty cooing and gushing of the ladies behind him, he turned to join the Commander of the Grey and the small group she had brought together today.

"Flirting using your cat again?" The commander gave him an amused look, that was no doubt supposed to have been disapproving.

"Ser Pounce-a-Lot is irresistible," he answered lightly, earning a meow of agreement. "Where are we off to? You said it would be a long trip?" Anders gave Nathaniel a quick nod, eyes lingering a little longer on Oghren in worry. The dwarf may have a strong swing to kill, he was also as stupid as any man who was piss drunk, and he tended to keep Anders more than busy just casting healing spells when he _needed_ to support someone else every once in a while too.

"We're off for a fun trip in the Deep Roads," the Commander replied cheerfully, making the three of them scowl as one.

"Can't you take Velanna? Ser Pounce-a-Lot doesn't like the Deep Roads!"

"Then leave the cat." Nathaniel had replied gruffly before their Commander even had the chance. Anders pouted, cupping a hand behind his kitten's body to keep him close. The Deep Roads were bad enough by themselves. He was not going to leave his mental support behind. He was pretty sure he'd end up panicking if he couldn't bring the loyal kitten, and he really rather not throw that on his fellow wardens. _They didn't need to know just how much he hated it down there._

He felt a moment of worry when the Commander gave him a calculating look, but then she shrugged. "If you won't leave him, we should get going. I want to set up camp at the entrance to the Deep Roads we'll be taking; before nightfall."

They obeyed, if unhappily, following their Commander out of the Keep to start the long trek. Anders was happy he wasn't expected to be particularly strong as a mage, most of the luggage such as the tent and tightly wrapped blankets packed on Oghren's back. They would probably end up reeking of some suspicious alcoholic drink, but it was easily better than having to drag around all those heavy things yourself. Anders was happily outfitted with a large empty shoulder bag he'd be filling with herbs and other potion ingredients along the way. _Obviously_ he wouldn't be able to crouch all the time to gather his ingredients with heavy packs on his back. It was such a delight to see his companions carry everything for him.

Of course, that did mean they actually expected him to look out for said herbs and other ingredients, and by the time they paused for lunch he had a sore back from bending over all the time.

When they finally reached the entrance they were going to make camp at late in the afternoon, his back felt like he had broken it and his bag was heavy.

Ser Pounce-a-Lot stretched and dug his nails in Anders' back from where he had been sleeping in a flap of his robes, to add insult to injury.

"Ow ow, don't do that Ser Pounce-a-Lot, that hurts!" He groaned, fishing the cat out of his robes while the others conveniently ignored him. Well, he was just as happy with that because that meant they would be busy setting up camp before he would be ready to help.

Or not.

He barely stopped himself from jumping as Nathaniel's hand landed heavily on his shoulder. "Help me collect firewood."

"Oh Nate, I knew you liked being alone with me~" With a quick kiss to the kitten's head he placed the fluffy ball on his pack. "Guard the camp, Ser Pounce-a-Lot."

Nathaniel rolled his eyes - Anders knew without seeing thanks to the typically accompanying sigh he knew so well. It was too bad the archer had already stopped reacting to his flirtatious teasing. Or perhaps he was just tired from the long march.

He made sure to make extra whiney sounds every time he had to bend over to grab a fallen branch, noting how Nathaniel got more twitchy every time. Eventually they both had their arms full, and Anders stretched his back painfully while clinging to the branches.

"Ugh. I'll be happy to lay down now."

"It would probably hurt less if you didn't make such a show out of it."

"You wound me Nate, I never make a show out of anything."

Another roll of the eyes and an exasperated sigh was his only response, and Anders pouted. Nathaniel was just no more fun to tease these days. He used to argue so nicely, but ever since the Commander had cleared up the misunderstandings about the Howe family, Nathaniel had become almost... almost docile. Like he was ashamed of the anger he had started their relationships with, now knowing he had been wrong. Anders could get that, it was never nice to be wrong. Especially if you nearly assassinated someone over it, of course. But that didn't make it less boring for _him._ He _liked_ Nathaniel, and teasing was the only way to attract someone's attention that he trusted himself with.

"You used to be more prickly," he finally just said straightforwardly. "You would snap at me if I joked like that. Why'd you stop?"

"Do you _want_ me to snap at you when you joke?" Nathaniel gave him a mildly confused look, hitching the branches in his arms up higher as they walked.

"Well, it's better than just a sigh and a roll of the eyes. I'm trying to interact a little, and I don't really care whether it's in a positive or negative way. You've got the good looks, so the grouchiness is excused."

"You are a confusing man, Anders."

"As are you," he shot back easily. "You need to be a bit more sociable."

"I'm not the sociable type." Anders would swear it wasn't possible, but Nathaniel's voice seemed to have dropped even more in discontent.

"Sure you are! Trust me, it's fun!"

"Anders." Again the exasperated sigh, but at least this time it came in combination with a name. Babysteps, Anders supposed.

"Just a little bit then? I'm not saying you have to hang out with people every waking hour. Just... try to be a little more sociable when people talk to you. And like I said, I don't mind if you snap at me, as long as you react!"

He glanced to the side to offer Nathaniel a grin, but what he saw surprised him. The archer had a blush on his cheeks, clearly visible in the afternoon light, and he looked far more embarrassed than seemed logical with this conversation.

"Nate? " He meant to lean in, approach his fellow warden a little to find out what was wrong. Unfortunately, he wasn't the one with the long years of practice walking on uneven ground, and his motion resulted in his foot rolling off a thick branch. With a yelp he fell backwards, arms clinging tightly to the branches he was holding to not drop them as he landed hard on his ass.

"Anders, are you alright?" The worry in the man's voice was just the next surprise, and when Anders didn't answer immediately the archer started to put down his load of firewood.

"No, no! Don't put that down. I'm fine, I was just startled." Nevertheless he remained in place, his back aching even worse now along with the bruised feeling of his ass. He took a few deep breaths before twisting his legs underneath him, managing to get up without needing to let go of his load. It wouldn't have been a problem had they brought something to tie the wood together, but the mere thought of having to gather all these sticks and branches up again made him ache somewhat terribly.

He offered a slightly pained grin now, slightly wobbly on his feet.

"Are you really alright?" Nathaniel insisted, looking actually worried. He seemed to debate putting the firewood down again, so Anders quickly intervened.

"I'm really fine! I just stepped wrong, but the forest floor isn't all that hard." He grinned widely. "I didn't know you cared Nate. Will you check me for bruising later?"

The scowl immediately made its appearance, and Anders couldn't help but laugh. "Stop joking around mage! I was serious! Now come on, before the Commander gets worried and starts preaching about safety. Oghren will have our hides."

"You've got a good point there," Ander agreed reluctantly. He hitched the branches up his arms properly, before starting to walk towards their camp again.


	2. Chapter 2

"How much deeper will we go?"  
Nathaniel was not completely sure, but he could swear he heard that undertone of fear in the mage's voice again. Anders was holding his cat like he was his last life line, but his posture seemed fairly relaxed otherwise .

It was hard to read the mage. He seemed to be so open about his emotions, blowing everything out of proportion if he could. The jokes, the sarcasm, the smile - they were all too carefully orchestrated. They all looked too suspicious, and all too honest. Anders was hiding something, but whether that was something small or something huge, was impossible to see.

But now he could hear it, hints of fear seeping into his voice and into the way he held his cat.

Nathaniel almost felt a sorry for suggesting he'd leave the kitten at the Keep, even if Anders hadn't exactly reacted badly to it. Or not openly. Who knew what that man was thinking?

"We need to find that Thaig," the Commander explained in hushed tones. "We'll go deeper until we found it."

"Andraste's bosom," the mage muttered, hitching his cat a little closer to his chest, fingers tightening around his staff.

Nathaniel decided to sidle up next to the mage, despite his attempts to stay out of his way. It was more than dark enough down here, and he doubted Anders would be able to see him blushing if he ended up doing that again. It was annoying how easily his face grew red, he wouldn't even have to be embarrassed for it to happen. It was just that tingling feeling of attraction he held to irritating man, and talking to him was enough to send his mind reeling with what he _really_ wanted that obnoxious mouth to be doing.

"Are you going to be alright?" He asked quietly as he was next to Anders.

The mage jumped slightly, but managed to compose himself so quickly it was like it never happened. Nathaniel knew better now. He really was scared. Of the dark? Of the deep?

"Worried about me again?" The mage teased, quickly poking at Nathaniel's side to make him step away with a huff. Yes, face burning again. The dark was welcome. "My back still aches, you could massage me?"

"You seem tense," he explained, his voice gentler than he had intended it to be. He meant it to be sharp, disapproving of the flirting. Maker knows what Anders would start saying if he felt he was getting somewhere with the flirting.

"It's dark," Anders shrugged, strangely serious in response to his tone. "Of course I'm tense, I'm trying not to fall over any corpses or rubble."

"That's not it, is it?"

There was clearly a pause before Anders replied, voice hushed. "It won't affect my capability to fight when we run into darkspawn, so don't worry about it."

"That's not why I'm asking." This man was tiring, even when he wasn't teasing. Did Anders really think he just asked because he feared he would falter in battle? "As a friend... I'm worried as a friend."

A longer pause this time, and he noticed the pace of the mage faltering. He cast a look to his side, finding the light of the Commander's torch reflecting in wide surprised eyes that refused to look at him, and a kitten wriggling in discomfort at being held too tight.

" _Anders_."

"Thank you Nate," the other muttered quickly, turning his head away so Nathaniel could no longer even try to read him. "I'm really fine. You should probably keep an eye on Oghren instead, before he runs himself into a wall taking a swig from his drink."

The message was clear, and with a soft displeased grunt Nathaniel obeyed, moving ahead a little to get closer to Oghren instead. He had never realised Anders could get that uncomfortable with kindness, and it worried him even more than the tenseness the mage was currently showing. Anders always played around, always had someone close and someone to chatter away with. So why did he react like a simple act of friendship was such an odd occurrence?  
 _Or did he notice Nathaniel thought of him as more than a friend, and he felt disgusted?_

A loud rumbling noise distracted him, and he swivelled around just in time to see Anders' eyes widen in shock. With a shout Nathaniel sped back towards the mage, the tunnel crumbling around them. He could hear Oghren shouting and a scream in pain from the Commander, but then he was hit by something heavy and everything went black for a moment, his ears ringing into a sudden empty silence.

When he blinked his eyes open again he cursed, unable to see a thing in the darkness. Without the Commander's torch, these tunnels were darker than a hurlock's ass.

"Commander? Anders?" The tunnel remained silent. Not even an echo. _Was the wall before him as close as he thought it was?_  
He reached forward, only to have his fingers bump into gravelly debris immediately. He grunted in frustration, kicking his feet and finally aiding with one hand to kick the rocks off his legs, glad to feel both were still working - if burning in pain, clearly cut and bruised. He tried to sit up, but his headed knocked painfully in a smooth slab of stone above him.

" _Fuck_."

He paused until the white stars disappeared from his vision, everything going black once more and the sound in his ears dulling to the muffled silence of the deep roads. After a deep and careful breath he felt the floor around him, touching until he found he wasn't completely blocked in. There was more space to his right. It would be fun crawling around the debris with his bow poking into every ridge ahead of him, but it would have to do. Staying here was no option.

 _And he needed to find Anders._

Nathaniel had no idea why the tunnel collapsed, and he didn't want to waste time wondering about it. All he knew was that the Commander and Oghren had been ahead of him, and Anders _behind_ him. Anders was cut off from the others for sure, and he wouldn't stand a chance if he got attacked by darkspawn now.  
Not that he sensed any darkspawn nearby right now. That didn't matter. It was the principle, the idea of the mage being left alone by himself in this darkness - _he had looked afraid before_ -  
He cursed again, pulling himself forward by his elbows, wriggling and squirming every time the bow caught on something. Everything was pitch black, but it seemed a pillar had toppled over him, shielding a path among the debris. He could only hope there was a way out before the end of the pillar.

It was difficult to decide whether the first sound he heard again was a relief to him or the opposite. As Nathaniel struggled his bow underneath a wide ridge of the pillar - which he feared would be the end of the pillar - he heard a soft sniffling. It didn't take many guesses who it was, considering the pitch of the voice, but it was rather horrifying to realise the ever cheerful mage was _crying_ in the dark.

"Anders?"

He heard a soft gasp, but no reply. Nathaniel grumbled to himself, managing to work his way out until he bumped into new gravel. This was a lot looser though, and with a rough shove it crumbled down. He still couldn't see, but with the last obstruction gone he could breath in relatively fresh air and hear the soft whimpers of the mage properly. Still on his hands and knees, he crawled carefully to where he heard the sound, only finally feeling leather under one hand.

The foot jumped away as if burned, and the sound Anders made didn't even sound human. A light flickered into existence, lighting scared eyes in a blotched red face, only to disappear again immediately.

"Anders, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" The light had been short, but long enough for Nathaniel to know he had space to move now. Anders was sitting against the wall, knees drawn up to his chest. The ceiling was as high as before here, and would not trouble him in getting up. In the mere moments Nathaniel had not been able to spot the cat, nor did he hear it anywhere. "Talk to me Anders!"

"I-I'm sorry," the man opposite of him hiccupped, and he heard leather creaking as his grip on something tightened. Nathaniel shifted closer, slowly touching Anders' shoulder now, trying not to startle him again. Surprisingly, the reaction was the complete opposite of before, and the rogue suddenly found his arms full of mage.

Another light flickered on, this time to stay behind Nathaniel's back. It wasn't much, but after such complete darkness it was more than enough to start adapting. And it wasn't like he had anything to look at right now either, so he found himself closing his eyes again, rubbing the shaking back of the quietly sobbing mage. He had no clue what was wrong, what had upset Anders this much, but he was painfully aware this was not one of his little games for attention. This was real.

Was it because of the cat? It seemed... an overreaction even for Anders. Even if the cat was not with him, it was unlikely it would've been killed by a collapse of the ceiling. That cat had survived dozens of fights with darkspawn with elegant ease, he would not get himself caught by some rubble. So Anders couldn't be this upset thinking the cat was dead.

He just kept rubbing the man's back awkwardly, until finally the crying subsided again.

"S-sorry," Anders muttered quietly, face still buried against Nathaniel's shoulder.  
"Will you tell me what happened?"

"The uh... the tunnel collapsed."

Nathaniel sighed, shaking his head. "That's not what I mean."

He felt a shiver wrack through the mage's body, and a shuddering breath being taken in.  
"Remember I talked about being locked in solitary for a year?"

Nathaniel sighed once more, but this time not in exasperation. This time in understanding.

When Anders had told them before, he had looked a little pained, but mostly angry. Back then he had hardly known Anders. He had still been bitter, still been convinced anger was the best direct defence and quietly infuriated with having been made a warden. He had not bothered to read behind Anders' words, and had not bothered to remember it.

Now, it was a lot easier to understand. Now he knew the mage, knew how he clung to company. Anders would rather poke Nathaniel until he snapped than sit somewhere by himself in quiet. _Anders couldn't handle being alone._ Being locked alone in a cell... it suddenly became a _lot_ clearer, and Nathaniel selfishly wished he never knew, that it never was true.

"You're not alone now," he muttered, patting Anders' back. "And neither are you locked up. We're here together and we'll get out together."

"Ser Pounce-a-Lot is gone," the other mumbled, but without the dread of someone who feared their companion was dead.

"You know he can take care of himself," Nathaniel stated clearly. "As can we. Can you stand?"

He felt a nod, and he slowly pulled away from the mage. The light was still glowing faintly behind him, allowing him to see the scared face. It was unlike anything he had ever seen on Anders' face, and it was painful to watch. He did recognise this look. It was the look of someone haunted by nightmares. It was the look of someone who wasn't sure what he was living for anymore.

"We'll be fine," he promised, grabbing Anders' arms to squeeze tightly for a moment. " _We_ will be _fine_."

Anders' eyes finally met his, and a weak little smile that looked as much scared as relieved flitted over his face. "Thank you, Nathaniel."

Nathaniel squeezed the man's arms one more time, before releasing him and gingerly climbing to his feet. His legs were hurting badly, but working. The mage however, saw him wobble and put his hands to the rogue's thighs, a soft blue light enveloping them as he healed his legs.

"That should be better," Anders muttered, slowly standing up himself. He seemed a little more composed already, and Nathaniel was almost grateful his legs got hurt before, seeing Anders getting a grip on himself again with the minor distraction of performing a healing. He quickly caught the mage's hand, giving that a small squeeze now before tugging him along, back up the dark tunnel in search of a way around the collapse, to find their commander.


	3. Chapter 3

He wouldn't readily admit it, but Anders was beyond grateful it had been Nathaniel to find him. As the tunnel had collapsed, Ser Pounce-a-Lot had jumped away from him, dashing forward after the Commander and Oghren ahead. Anders knew his cat would make it, and he knew the Commander had by far the biggest chances of survival. It was painful to be left behind by his trusted cat, but he was grateful he brought himself to safety first. Anders wouldn't forgive himself if the innocent kitten got hurt or worse – and he suspected that was the reason he ran in the first place. The reassurance that the cat would be safe helped.

But that _did_ leave Anders all alone to watch the light of the Commander's torch be cut from his view by tumbling rubble, a wide pillar toppling over right where he saw Nathaniel sprinting back towards him.

Anders had stumbled back, a cry tearing from his throat in horror as the dust exploded around him, forcing him to shield his face from pebbles raining down on him. He stumbled back until he hit the wall, sliding down to sit almost immediately.

It had gone dark and silent, aside from the groaning and screeching of settling stone.

No sound of the Commander. No sound of Oghren. No sound of Ser Pounce-a-Lot. _No Nathaniel._

So dark, so quiet. _So alone_. Nowhere to run off to, locked down here in the Deep Roads. Just like that cell, just like that time that kept him all alone for a year. No words spoken to him, no replies. And this time there wasn't even a cat to keep him sane.

He had hunched over almost immediately, drawing his knees up against his chest as he desperately tried to control his breathing, tried not to panic. But it was gnawing at him, like the demons had already reached him to taunt him, the shadows around him promising he would never get out of here. Last time it was a year, and there had never been any hope. In the beginning he had been aware of time, but it had soon be lost, and a year had turned into eternity. And even when eternity ended and he was taken out, he was scarred forever. It took him weeks to talk normally to his fellow mages again, weeks before he could choke down a normal meal without throwing up. And his sleep had never been free of nightmares again.

He had sought the company as soon as he was able, sleeping around with a desperation even the Templars noticed. But he never stayed, never dared to stay. He couldn't be seen waking up from his nightmares sweating and gasping. They would see he had gone mad, and they would end up making him tranquil to make sure he didn't fall for a demon after all. _He wasn't a sane man any longer._

Oh, but he was good at hiding it. Eventually, at least. It had only taken one month for his behaviour to be practically back to normal, joking, laughing, pretending he wasn't kept awake by nightmares of loneliness and darkness and locked doors. Pretending he didn't break down into a shaking mess of panic whenever he found himself in a locked room or a seemingly locked room. The Dark Roads were the same. Even if the exit wasn't locked, the _distance_ to the exit was a lock in itself. How would he ever find his way back out if not for the Commander's map?

He was locked in here, in the dark, by himself. All over again. And even if his cell was bigger now, it was still a cell. This time flooded with darkspawn too.

The relief of being found, being found by _Nathaniel,_ was overwhelming. He trusted the Commander, felt safe in her presence. But it was unlike Nathaniel. The gruff annoyance and the subtle care, the insistent protection he offered during a fight, refusing to let anyone get even close to Anders as he cast his spells. He knew the rogue kept an eye on him, and where he had initially assumed it was distrust and annoyance, the subtle gaze had started to make him feel safe soon enough.

Because Anders wasn't sane. It was good to know he was kept under close attention, and there would be an arrow to slay him in case anything went wrong. Not that Nathaniel had ever threatened to actually shoot him down, but he knew the archer would do what he must. If Anders became a danger, he'd kill him, just like he killed whoever was a danger to Anders.

And strangely, that was even more of a comfort than the warm weight of a purring kitten in his arms to hold on to. He felt _safe_ with the gruff archer around.

Seeing his worried face flicker before him in the short burst of panicked light he cast up was like the first time he was visited by Mr. Wiggums. He had fallen so far, so fast, and met his hold to relative sanity eye to eye.

Of course, then he had gone ahead and embarrassed himself by clinging to the rogue sobbing like a little child, and luckily Nathaniel had let him. The worry and care the man showed had been overwhelming in itself, and Anders grabbed for it, clung to it in his desperation.

Being lead back up the long path lit only by a faint light in Anders' hand, with his other hand occupied by Nathaniel... it grounded him to reality. He could keep the light going as long as he could feel the warm hand holding his own. _He wasn't alone this time._

"If we go left here, perhaps we can make our way around the collapse."

The words dragged Anders back from his thoughts, and his eyes slid up slowly to look at Nathaniel's face.

"What do you say, Anders?"

He swallowed heavily, before nodding. "S-sounds fair enough. The Commander is the only one with the map, but if we just keep taking every first left we should eventually walk in a circle, right?"

Nathaniel gave a nod of agreement, before gently tugging Anders along into the dark hallway.

"I wonder if we should've stayed put..."

"That would've been wise if we had been certain the Commander and Oghren were unharmed." Nathaniel didn't look around to meet Anders' eyes, and the mage found himself fidgeting. "As it is, we don't know if they got caught under the collapse as well. They might not be able to move, and staying in place would mean abandoning them to die there. And as you said, if we keep taking every first left we won't get lost. We can always return if necess- Anders why are you fidgeting, please stop."

Anders jumped, hand going tense where he had been fiddling with his robes, teeth tight on his lower lip.  
"S-sorry."

"Don't apologise. Just tell me if you need anything. We're in this together, I'll do anything to make sure we're both at our best, or at least the best manageable."

Anders gave a nervous laugh, gesturing around them. "My best manageable isn't very good down here. I used to take my mind of things with a good fuck, but there's no tower full of mages to pick from here." He purposely didn't extend the invitation for Nathaniel to do it, knowing the thought was ridiculous. Nathaniel was not interested. He was just saying it to joke, get back to his normal behaviour somehow.

Even with the faint light, it was too dark to see the bright blush on the archer's cheeks, and Anders failed to notice. All he felt was the slight tightening of the man's hand, which he took as a disapproval of where the conversation was going.

"What, don't you think a good fuck clears the mind?"

" _Anders_."

This was trusted territory again. Flustering the rogue, teasing him until he snapped. He was cute when angry, and it was one of Anders' favourite past-times. _Perfect distraction from his fear._

"You can't tell me you never just fucked someone over a table or another piece of furniture in pure frustration. You're always so angry, it _must've_ happened sometime."

"I'm only angry when I'm being goaded by some idiot," came the growled reply.

"Which is now," Anders provided helpfully, shamelessly. "Wanna find a piece of furniture and fuck out your anger, Nate~?"

The hand tightened further, squeezing Anders' painfully for a moment. It surprised him there was no immediate reply, and for a moment Anders feared he had gone too far. He was not exactly in a good state of mind to know where to stop.  
"Ask me again when we're not down here and you're less hysterical."

"...say what?" Anders gave the back of Nathaniel's head a wide eyed look in surprise. That was _definitely_ not the answer he had been expecting. A straight refusal or just a frustrated sound. Nothing that would leave the possibility of a 'yes'.

"Are you saying you _do_ want to bend me over and fuck me? Nate! I didn't think you had it in you!"

"Shut up!"

The archer was clearly embarrassed now, the slight shaking of his body and the rough quality too his voice speaking volumes. Anders beamed, quickly moving to catch up and press himself against Nathaniel's side. It was meant to be teasing, but he basked in the heat of another body, practically melting into the comfort. He barely noticed the soft whimper escaping him, more intent on watching for Nathaniel's reaction.

Surprisingly, he wasn't pushed away, even if the other seemed to debate it for a second. And then, just for a moment, Anders thought he felt a touch to his waist, warm fingers brushing against his robes-

A loud crack, followed by a rush of dust and rocks and Anders yelped, pressing back against Nathaniel. His foot slipped – no, fell away – and for a moment he was weightless, falling.  
Then gravity returned in the form of a painful jerk on his arm, pulling the arm above his head. His fingers scrambled to curl around Nathaniel's wrist, his feet kicking air in his panic.

"Hold still!"

"N-Nate-!"

 _Their fingers were slipping_.

And wasn't this just hilarious? Just when they had both survived a tunnel collapsing, just when Anders had managed to come down from his panic and everything seemed to be proceeding in a good direction – just _then_ he had to go and fall in Maker knows how deep a ravine. In the Deep Roads. _All alone to fall by himself, soon enough. Very soon._

Hands slipped and he felt Nathaniel's fingers knock against his own in a last desperate attempt to grab him once more. Anders could hear the terror in Nathaniel's voice when he called out, and oddly enough it was a relief. Because at least he would die and be missed.

Only he didn't die.

He let out a pained grunt upon impact, landing square on his ass maybe half a meter lower than his feet had been dangling a moment ago. His teeth clattered together and pain shot through his torso, but it was all dulled. Not that impressive. He'd had worse.

"Andraste's asshole-!"

"Anders? Maker's breath, are you alright?"

The worry was clear in Nathaniel's voice, and Anders sagged where he set, whimpering pitifully at how it had hurt – a sound he knew Nate wouldn't take seriously, and therefore the answer to his question.

"I'm fine... probably won't be able to sit for a while. I shouldn't waste mana on bruises when we can be attacked any moment..."

With some rustling he felt more than saw Nathaniel jump down the ledge, crouching down next to Anders. The light wisp was close to the ground, giving the archer's glare an ominous feeling to it, and Anders swallowed a bit nervously. Was he angry? Had he angered the archer with his flippant replies at a time like _this_?

He was proven wrong soon enough, his breath stuttering to a halt when warm lips collided with his. The wisp sizzled out, darkness swallowing them once more as Nathaniel took over his senses.

He tasted of dust and blood and _Deep Roads_ , but also something herbal he couldn't place and something typical Nathaniel. It was only after noting all these things Anders fully realised Nathaniel was _kissing_ him, and as soon as he felt the archer pull back he lurched forward to catch him once more.

Where he had been barely responsive in shock just now, this time it was _hungry_. Nathaniel gave him a soft sound that Anders hoped to be appreciation, and pressed him back against the wall once more. A warm body hovering over him, heated lips massaging against his own – dry and dusty but still better than anything he could currently remember. If it was up to him, they would stay like this.

But naturally, Nathaniel pulled away, clearing his throat somewhat awkwardly as he grabbed Anders' hand once more.

"We should move on and find the Commander and Oghren. Just... don't scare me like that, would you? How many times were you planning to fall on this trip, seriously?"

Anders chuckled sheepishly, pushing at the wall behind him as he allowed Nathaniel to drag him up to his feet.

"I wonder. Maybe I keep waiting for you to catch me."

"Just... _walk_ already."

* * *

 **This was supposed to be longer back when I first started on it, but it was only after writing the first 2 chapters that I realised I didn't only pick a cliché trope, but a cliché trope that many had done before me. Hence I lost my muse and it took me a long time to bring this to any sort of end.**  
 **This will remain the ending of the story unless enough people want me to continue.**


End file.
